More than 270 employees who had worked for Meadow Lark Transport in Billings are now without jobs.
The trucking company had grown considerably in the four decades since it started in 1983.
But now employees say it has filed for bankruptcy.
It's a closure that has a ripple effect far beyond Meadow Lark, where doors at 2913 Millennium Circle in Billings are now closed.
Several companies claim they have not been paid by the company, including Across America Logistics in Aurora, Illinois.
"My husband's worked, like how, for like few days for free," said Regina Salimova of Across America Logistics.
Salimova says Meadow Lark was the broker that connected the trucking companies with companies that need trucking services.
And this has only been a problem recently for her and her husband to get paid.
"And my dispatch, he checked the Meadow Lark rating. It was already bad," Salimova said. "But he took the chance and he took the load because they used to be good and they assured him that they're going to pay."
MTN News also contacted Northline Logistics in Ontario, Canada, which claims it has not been paid for six months.
"We did a couple of loads from Tulsa, Oklahoma to B.C.," said Gurmeet Sidhu of Northline Logistics in Ontario, Canada. "And one day we did from Tulsa to Edmonton."
Sidhu forwarded MTN News an email from a former Meadow Lark employee on Wednesday, stating the company filed for federal Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last Friday. MTN News has not independently confirmed the bankruptcy filing in federal court.
Three other companies also say that they have not received payment for trucking work.
Salimova talked about the challenges in the industry with fuel costs and insurance.
"In my opinion, I think it's probably the economy, maybe affected them," Salimova said.
"The industry is good, everybody's good," said Sidhu. "But there are some bad apples in the market."
And while they say the lack of payment is a setback, there's still opportunities for trucking companies.
"There's lots of companies that are good companies, so we can start looking at other companies like them now," said Sidhu.
The person listed as president on the Meadow Lark website chose not to comment.
It's not clear if that person left the company this week or earlier.
Other Meadow Lark executives have not responded to MTN requests for comment.
